Bed-making aid



Nov. 24, 1970 F. A. DAUPHIN 3,541,621

' BED-MAKING AID Filed Aug. 12, 1968 INVENTOR FLORENUE HDRUPHIN ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 24, 1970 3,541,621 BED-MAKING AID Florence A. Dauphin, P.O. Box 17, St. Johnsbury Center, Vt. 05863 Filed Aug. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 751,872 Int. Cl. A47c 21/00 U.S. Cl. -320 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for use in making up a bed, to provide the head of the bed in the area about the pillows with an appearance of uniformity and smoothness, in which a generally U-shaped rigid channel like sheet having fiat or planar, spaced, parallel longitudinally coextensive end members connected by a arcuate bridging member accommodates a pillow or pillows in the space between the end members. The device is placed with a flat end member on the bed and with its open side immediately adjacent the head or headboard of the bed, and its arcuate side toward the foot of the bed. The bedspread is tucked under the end member lying directly on the surface of the bed, and is brought around the arcuate bridging member and over the remaining end member to complete the bed-making task.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to devices to aid in making up or arranging a bed to provide it with a pleasant appearance during hours of non-use. More particularly, my invention is directed toward a device which is useful in arranging the region at the head of the bed normally occupied by the pillows in such manner that the bedspread may be fitted on the bed with uniformity and evenness and without any unsightly bulges or depres- SlOIlS.

In the past, it has been customary to use bolsters for these purposes, the bolster usually replacing the bed pillows and constituting a long cylindrical structure extending normally across the entire bed to provide the desirable uniformity of appearance when the bed is made up with a spread. Such devices, however, have a number of disadvantages, principal among which are the requirements 1) that the pillows be stored somewhere, as in a closet or a drawer when the bolster is in use, but that they be sufficiently accessible to permit them to be returned to the bed when the bed is to be turned down for sleeping, at which time the bolster must, of course, be stored; (2) that the person making up the bed be capable of handling the bolster, which is normally long, relatively bulky, and rather unwieldly, rendering such a device unsuitable for use by a child who is being taught the responsibility of making his or her bed, or who must by necessity join in to help with the family household chores; (3) that more than slight attention be given to steadying the bolster in position on the bed, because the cylindrical shape of the bolster gives it a tendency to roll until such time as it has been encompassed by the bedspread; and (4) that the cloth or other fabric forming the outer layer of the bolster must be cleaned occasionally and/or replaced, further the mattress, to a position beyond the end of the pillows most remote from the headboard. When the bed covers are to be turned down, the device frame is lifted and folded, and is slid to a concealed position. It should be apparent that such a device also has drawbacks, the most glaring being its requirement of substantial skill in operation of the unit.

It is, accordingly, a principal object of the present invention to provide improvements in bed-making aids of the general types discussed above, but which overcome the several disadvantages of the prior art devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, a bedmaking aid (hereinafter sometimes called pillow bubble top) is provided in the form of arcuate sheet of rigid material of substantially U-shaped cross section, having spaced, parallel, longitudinally coextensive end members connected by a channel-like bridging member. The material of which the device is composed has sufiicient rigidity to maintain its surface contour or shape during or upon exertion of pressure of the head of an individual who may be resting upon the bed, and the device is therefore unsuitable as a pillow case or pillow cover per se. The channel-like configuration of the device is such as to permit a pillow (or a pair of pillows, in the case of a double bed) to be easily received between the walls or end members thereof without the exertion of any substantial force. That is, the pillows are contained within the bed-making aid itself; hence, no separate pillow storage is required when the bed is to be made up.

One of the end members or walls of the device is preferably slightly wider than the other, this wall to be placed directly against the mattress (and any sheets or covers that are disposed on the mattress) and to have the pillow or pillows resting thereon. This arrangement provides greater stability of the device when in use, and the additional width is compensated by providing a slight slope or asymmetry in the arcuate configuration of the bridging member. The slope is only slight, extending from a point above the pillow downwardly to the top of the bed, when the bubble top is in position; and adding to the pleasing appearance of the bed when fully made up.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The above and still further objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective looking generally toward the front and one side of the bubble top;

FIG. 2 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention showing the sloping bridging member and the encasement of a pillow; and

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of a device in accordance with the invention in use on a bed, with part of the bed covers and spread broken away for the sake of clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, the bed-making aid of the present invention may be seen to constitute an elongate U-shaped channel 10 having a pair of parallel longitudinally coextensive end members 11, 12, separated by a dimension suitable to accommodate a standard pillow (see 14, FIG. 2). The end members are joined by a bridging member 15 of arcuate shape.

In its preferred form the bed-making aid is composed of a lightweight rigid plastic, such as polyethylene, al-

though the lightweight metals, such as aluminum or magnesium, may alternatively be employed provided a rounded safety lip is afforded to prevent the exposure of the user to a sharp edge. Also, in the preferred embodiment the bridging member 15 is slightly asymmetrical, sloping downwardly from end member 11, which will normally be positioned remote from the mattress, to end member 12, normally directly adjacent the mattress or any sheets or bed covers thereon. This asymmetric configuration assures stability of the overall device 10; that is to say, there is no likelihood of undisturbed movement of the device once it is placed in position on the pillow.

In practice, end member 11 is about 8 inches wide, end member 12n about 10 inches wide, members 11 and 12 spaced by approximately 6 inches, and the thickness of the sheet of plastic or metal of which the device is composed preferably ranging from A; to inch. The length of the bed-making aid will depend upon the type of bed with which it is to be used, i.e., the device is to be available in a range of sizes, and specifically 39 inches long for twin size beds, 48 inches long for three quarter size, 54 inches for full size, 60 inches for queen size, and 76 inches for king size. The latter dimensions conform to the widths of the beds in question, and may, if desired, be slightly under the recited figures if aesthetic considerations so dictate.

In use of device 10, the pillow or pillows 14 are slipped into the space between end members 11 and 12, in sandwiched relationship therewith, thereby dispensing with the need for any special storage space in closets, drawers or the like. The device is then placed on the bed in the manner shown in FIG. 3, with the slotted or open side 17 adjacent headboard 20. Of course, this is merely exemplarly, since it is to be understood that no actual headboard need be associated with the bed for the bedmaking aid of this invention to serve its intended purpose. Preferably, device 10 is placed in position as the last item prior to arranging the bedspread 22 on the bed,

the spread tucked underneath and then over the device to complete the making of the bed. Alternatively, the spread may be placed on the bed, folded downward near the head, the device 10 placed in position over the fold and the end of the spread brought over and behind the device.

When not in use, the bed-making aid according to my invention is readily stored beneath the bed, and more important is sufliciently light and easy to handle that it may be used by even a youngster.

I claim:

1. A bed-making aid, comprising a U-shaped channel of rigid sheet material having spaced, parallel longitudinally coextensive end members joined by an arcuate bridging member, said end members spaced by a distance just sufiicient to accommodate a bed pillow in sandwiched relationship therebetween, said channel having a length substantially equal to the width of the bed on which it is to be used, wherein one of said end members is wider than the other, said wider end member to be positioned adjacent the surface of the bed when in use, said arcuate bridging member sloping generally downward from the narrower end member to the wider end member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 151,721 11/1948 Such 5-340 X'R BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner A. M. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 5-340 

